


Trollhunters Drabbles

by ClamantesDaemonium



Category: Trollhunters (Cartoon)
Genre: F/M, Gen, Jim/Claire is present but isn't usually the focus, more chacters will appear if/when I write more
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-29
Updated: 2017-01-29
Packaged: 2018-09-20 18:21:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,731
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9505121
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ClamantesDaemonium/pseuds/ClamantesDaemonium
Summary: I wrote a list of headcanons I'd acquired for Trollhunters. I did not expect to write any of them, but I did anyway because I couldn't leave the idea alone. I may update sporadically, but each piece stands mostly on it's own, and it's going to be marked complete as is.





	1. In Which Lip-Syncing and Impromptu Dates Happen

**Author's Note:**

> The list of headcanons I'm working off of can be found at http://clamantes-daemonium.tumblr.com/post/155648703189/random-trollhunters-headcanons. You may notice that they feature Claire heavily, because I didn't feel like she was given much as a character besides "smart girl who everyone likes and is good at everything and dates the hero," and I wanted to give her some depth and flaws (especially flaws). I don't know which I'm going to write or when/if I'm going to write more.

Claire is the passionate-lipsyncing-into-a-hair-brush-while-dancing-around-the-room type (particularly to Fall Out Boy). Jim’s dancing hasn’t gotten any less dorky, except when slow-dancing (which he’s alright at).

***** 

 

It's very frustrating, Jim thought, trying to get his foot over the edge of the roof, to have a girlfriend whose parents hate you. Not that he'd seen much of them since the babysitting disaster, to be fair, but once in a while they'd be in the same area and boy, you could freeze mercury with the looks they gave him. Which made doing dating-like-things difficult.

 

Which was why he was currently very carefully climbing the roof to get to Claire's window.

 

He figured Claire would be doing homework, or possibly reading. Nothing too important, nothing that she'd discourage his presence for. Perhaps even nothing that would make her say no to getting something to eat- ice cream was a dating thing, right?

 

Although her music was a little loud, if she was reading- he could hear it faintly from his place on the roof. After a moment to listen and make sure she wasn't talking to her parents (because there probably weren't many ways to tarnish his reputation further, but sneaking into their daughter's room at night would probably do it), Jim peered over the windowsill to see-

 

Claire was dancing. Enthusiastically, head tossing around and one of her hands in the air. It took a moment to see why she only held up one.

 

Jim grinned. His girlfriend was lip-syncing wildly into a hairbrush. _God, she's cute._

 

Which is how Claire found him. Chin in hand, grinning like a fool through the window. She blushed (cute), glowered (more scary than cute), and tossed the hairbrush aside, moving to turn the music down.

 

“Looks like you were having fun,” he said as she unlocked the window to let him in, and wow, she inherited her glares from her parents, alright, that was actually terrifying.

 

“What are you doing here?” Arms across her chest, hip jutted out, eyes narrowed- not the hopeful smile he had imagined, but hey, she had let him in, so...?

 

“I wanted to ask if you wanted to go somewhere. Like for ice cream or something.”

 

Her face softened, although she still looked irritated. “You crawled onto my roof to ask if I wanted ice cream.”

 

“Would you rather I used the front door?”

 

“We both have phones.”

 

“Oh.” He hadn't really considered that, but- “This sounded kind of romantic. So?”

 

Claire rolled her eyes, but smiled. “Go,” she said, pushing him toward the window. “I'm going to grab a jacket and think of an excuse to tell my parents.”

 

Three minutes later, she met him down the street. “So, do you dance a lot?”

 

He hadn't meant it to be teasing, but she raised an eyebrow at him as she buckled on the spare helmet. “At least I don't dance like a complete dork.”

 

“Hey, I don't dance and I'm not ashamed of that. But,” he leaned in to press a quick kiss to her cheek, “you look great when you dance.”

 

He couldn't see her reaction as he swung onto the moped, but from the way she put her arms around his waist, he hoped she was smiling.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This occurs at some vague point before Jim does his acrobatic flip off the handle and leaves, but after the play.
> 
> Of the three I've written thus far, this is definitely the most light-hearted one. Rough times are ahead.
> 
> Please let me know if my formatting is weird, I've never posted stuff before


	2. In Which Dr. Lake Is Told Things And Does Not Agree

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Barbara knows this is fake, some kind of wishful fantasy Jim's friends concocted to deal with his absence, but she listens anyway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In which I rapidly run out of synonyms for "said."

Barbara Lake, when introduced to the trolls the second time, screams loud enough to wake the dead. Once she’s tried calming down, she nearly burns down the kitchen trying to make tea. Claire tries to explain but isn’t a huge help, because she gets distracted explaining things that sound incredibly dangerous (the hero forge). Weirdly, Barbara listens to Blinky the most. (She is also relieved to know where Jim’s moped came from).

*****

It's not until Jim has been gone for a week that they all agree that Barbara needs to be told. Yes, Jim promised to tell her, and yes, this ought to come from him, but Jim's... No one wants to say missing. He's in the Darklands, they tell each other.

 

He's coming back, they tell themselves.

 

But he's not here now, and they can't keep watching Barbara Lake tear herself to pieces trying to find him. She called the police the night he'd left, filed reports, put up signs, and, as far as anyone could tell she hadn't slept more than three hours since he'd left.

 

Claire and Toby went over first, for obvious reasons. Twenty minutes later, Blinky, Aaarrrgghh, Draal, and Not-Enrique would climb through the tunnel to the basement and wait for one of the humans to come down and get them.

 

They got all the way to knocking on the front door before things went awry. Barbara answered, looking down at them with eyes lit up. Neither of them could meet her eyes while the hope in her face drained away.

 

"Toby? And- I'm sorry, Claire, right? You were Juliet in the play..." She trailed off, looking through them for a moment, before seeming to come back to herself. "Please, come in."

 

Toby almost wanted to refuse, wanted to make an excuse because it was eight in evening and Barbara looked as if she might fall over in a light breeze, but squared him shoulders and entered the house, Claire only a step behind him.

 

"Can I get you anything? Tea?" Barbara moved as if to put the kettle on, eyes dull and hands trembling.

 

"No thank you, Dr. Lake," Claire said. "We were hoping to talk to you, about... About something." She sat down, hesitantly looking at Toby as if he knew how to approach the subject any better than he did. "It's about Jim."

 

"Jim? Do you know where he is? Is he alright?" Suddenly she was alert and attentive.

 

 _Yes and no,_ Claire's traitorous brain replied. "It's... Complicated," she said, instead.

 

"There's something we need to tell you, Dr. Lake," Toby continued quietly.

 

Barbara paled, frozen in her steps towards a seat. "Is he- is he..." She couldn't finish the sentence.

 

"We don't think so," Claire said. "But he's been involved in something. Something important. And we think that's why..."

 

"Why he's missing," the doctor finished, not so much sitting down as collapsing into the chair.

 

"It's a long story," Toby said quietly, "and you probably aren't gonna believe us, but I promise it's true."

 

Barbara closed her eyes, taking several deep breaths before she opened them again. When she looked at the two of them, her gaze was firm. "Tell me."

 

"A few months- five months ago," Toby corrected himself, "Jim found an amulet under a bridge. It said his name. He picked it up, and that night..."

 

"Jim was chosen for something. An important duty," Claire supplied. "He was supposed to be a protector. For humans, but also for-" _here goes nothing_ "trolls."

 

Barbara didn't blink. "Trolls," she said flatly. When both of them nodded, she leaned forward and put her head in her hands. "Toby, I know Jim is your friend, but this isn't-"

 

"It's true," he interrupted. "it's crazy, and completely impossible, but it's true."

 

"Dr. Lake, if you hear us out, I promise things are going to make sense," Claire continued.

 

After another deep breath, Barbara sat back up. "Call me Barbara, please," she said, in a resigned tone. "And please start making sense. Where is my son?"

 

"He's somewhere called the Darklands," Toby answered. Barbara opened her mouth to reply, but he kept going. "It's kind of a..." He looked at Claire, uncertain.

 

"It's sort of another universe," she said. "The trolls, the one Jim protects- there was an evil troll, way before now, and he was banished to the Darklands. Jim went to fight him."

 

Barbara stared, brows furrowed. After a moment, she spoke. "Perhaps you should start at the beginning again. Trolls?"

 

"Big mon- well, no, they're not monsters, even though they look scary. They're big creatures made out of rocks. They live underground," Toby paused, not sure where to go from there. "Jim was chosen to be the Trollhunter, which-

 

"I thought you said he protected trolls," Barbara interrupted.

 

"He hunts... Bad trolls. To protect the good ones," Claire explained, and Toby nodded.

 

"The bad troll, the one Jim went to fight, he was sealed away using a bridge. The bad guys wanted to rebuild the bridge to let the really evil one out."

 

"Wanted. Past tense," Barbara noted.

 

"Jim beat them," Tony said. "It... It wasn't easy, and some of our friends got hurt-"

 

"Our?" she interjected.

 

"When Jim was chosen by the amulet, he freaked out and came to my place. I've been by his side since this all started." He looked hurt, and Claire knew he was wondering why he wasn't at Jim's side now.

 

"And you?" Barbara asked, looking at Claire.

 

"I didn't find out until later," she said quietly.

 

"Trolls can't really go above ground," Toby explained, "because daylight turns them to stone. But there are trolls who look like humans, who can walk around and do stuff the others can't. They're called changelings." He glanced at Claire.

 

"My baby brother was a changeling," she said, looking at the coffee table in front of her. "He was spying for the evil troll- Bular. The evil troll who got locked away, Gunmar, was Bular's father. Anyway, something went wrong and I was attacked. Jim saved me, but he got hurt. That's why he was in the forest that night, when he went to the hospital." _I'm scared, Jim..._ She was still scared, honestly.

 

"He said it was coyotes..." Barbara murmured. "I knew he was lying, and he wouldn't tell me the truth. We fought about it."

 

"When that happened, Bular got the rest of the bridge built, but he needed Jim to open it, so he lured him in by kidnapping Blinky."

 

The woman raised her eyes to meet Claire's. "Mister Blinky? The guidance councilor?" Claire nodded.

 

"He got turned human for a while. He's okay now," Toby explained. "So Jim and I went to save him, and we beat the bad guys. Jim killed Bular. The bridge was broken again and the pieces are in Hearthstone Trollmarket- where the good trolls live."

 

"That happened on the day of the play," Claire continued.

 

"But if he beat Bular, why..."

 

"He beat Bular, but his accomplice, a changeling, escaped." One of the unanimous decisions preceding all of this was that no one was to mention Strickler. "That changeling went and found a troll who had his own soul in a ring. The changeling used the ring to control the troll, and they came back to Arcadia." _To get revenge_ was left unspoken.

 

"This troll, his name was Angor Rot, he-" Claire shivered. "He wasn't like the others. He used to hunt other trolls for sport. He was... Terrifying."

 

"Angor Rot wanted the ring with his soul back from the changeling. He hunted Jim because the changeling made him, but he wanted his own revenge. And we couldn't fight him because he couldn't be killed." Toby clenched his fists. "We found some of the stones to make him mortal, but he attacked the school. In the middle of the day."

 

"He used pixies, which make you hallucinate," said Claire. "He could walk in the daylight, but we never thought he'd attack the school..."

 

"Angor Rot made a deal with Jim- if he got the ring back, Angor would leave Arcadia alone. So Jim tried, but the ring got crushed, meaning Angor's soul was lost. He went berserk.

 

"The changeling wanted Jim to hide him from Angor, but after everything that he'd done Jim wouldn't have it. The only reason he did was..."

 

"The changeling did something to bind himself to you," Claire said softly. "Anything that hurt him would hurt you. And Jim... He couldn't bear that. Not after everything else. He hid the changeling, but Angor Rot attacked again, and you got hurt. Badly. Toby and I got the spell to break the binding, but it erased your memories. Jim said he told you were in a car accident." Barbara unconsciously touched her neck where, as she had been told, a stray piece of glass had cut her.

 

"Jim killed Angor Rot, but a lot of trolls died to make that possible," Toby said flatly. "And we thought it was over. And then Jim just... left. Said he couldn't keep putting us in danger, and that he had to kill Gunmar." His fists shook. "After everything, he just _left_. And we don't even know if he's coming back."

 

No one spoke for several minutes. It was Barbara who broke the silence.

 

"This is impossible." She looked at Toby and Claire. "This is some sick fantasy world prank-"

 

"We can prove it," Claire interrupted. "We can prove it right now."

 

"And how are you going to do that?" Barbara didn't sound scornful or angry. She sounded tired, tired and lost.

 

"We- Toby and I, and the trolls, we knew we had to tell you when Jim didn't- when he left. Toby and I came here to talk to you, and the trolls came... a different way."

 

"They're in the basement," Toby blurted.

 

"There are trolls in the basement," Barbara continued in the same flat, lost voice. "Magical trolls, who live underground and are made out of rocks. That my son has been told to protect."

 

"I'm going- would it be alright, to bring one of them up? To prove we're telling the truth?" Claire asked, still hesitant. When Barbara nodded stiffly, she walked to the basement door and down the steps. A minute later, she walked back into the room, followed by a monster.

 

Barbara screamed.

 

"No, it's okay, he's a good guy!" Toby tried to reassure her. "That's Blinky, he's the one who trained Jim!"

 

"Please, madam, may I explain myself?"

 

It was his voice that made her stop. She had definitely heard that voice, although it had come out of a middle-aged man who was losing his hair and reassuring her that Jim wasn't hiding things from her. She took a shuddering breath, then another. "You're Blinky," she said faintly. "The guidance councilor."

 

"Well," Blinky tried a smile, "I do give him a fair amount of guidance. Most of which he never listens to, but I'm told that is to be expected with teenagers. But yes, I am he."

 

"You... You trained Jim, Toby said," she said weakly. "To be a Trollhunter." Blinky nodded. Barbara bit her lip, and both Toby and Claire were startled when she let out a sob. "Why didn't you stop him?"

 

"My dear, it wasn't something that could be stopped. Jim was destined to do this. It's his job-"

 

"His _job_ ," she said hoarsely. "He's fifteen. His job is to stay in school and worry about getting a _date_ , not protecting fairy tale creatures or fighting monsters!" In a flash, she grabbed a coaster from the coffee table and threw it at the troll. It bounced off of his raised forearm as she continued. "He could have been _killed_ , and you are talking about his destiny? He could be-" she broke off with another sob, and another.

 

"Toby, Claire, put the kettle on, would you?" They recognized the cue to leave and disappeared into the kitchen. Blinky knelt by Barbara's chair. "Miss Barbara, this is not something I would have ever asked of your son. He refused the amulet, but it didn't matter. He is the Trollhunter, even when he wishes he isn't. I do- I did everything in my power to keep him safe, just as he did everything in his power to keep you safe."

 

"I care for Master Jim," he admitted. "Rather strongly. I wish, more than anything, that this was not a burden he had to bear. But he was chosen, and he has already done so much, conquered so many impossible labors, in such a short time. If there is anyone I believe could return from the Darklands, it is James Lake Jr."

 

Barbara didn't speak, but her sobs had quieted into shuddering breaths.

 

"He is smart, he is cautious, and he is resourceful. He's determined and fierce, and more than anything else, I don't believe he could ever bear leaving you alone. I can't say why he chose to walk this path by himself, but I swear to you, Barbara Lake, he is not alone in this. Any one of our number would take up arms and fight through hell to get to him." He chuckled softly. "Many of them have, in fact. So I ask you on his behalf- do not lose hope. You will see him again."

 

**

 

“Um, Dr. Lake?”

 

“It's just Barbara, Toby.”

 

“Okay, uh, Barbara, do you want a hand with the kettle?”

 

“I've got it.”

 

“'Cause I've got two free hands and I'd love to help-”

 

“I have this under control, Toby”

 

“I came as fast as I could, Aaarrrgghh said he smelled smoke but he didn't want to break the door, is everything alright?”

 

“It's _fine, Blinky-”_

 

And then Not-Enrique burst in the with the fire extinguisher.

 

**

 

“When we were working on the moped I gave him for his birthday-”

 

“Oh thank _God_ , _that's_ where it came from.”

 

**

“He's gotten a lot stronger. He's been training in this place called the Hero's Forge for months, dodging fire and giant scythes-”

 

“Okay, Claire, that's enough.”

 

“And he's surrounded by all these dead Trollhunters made of stone-”

 

“ _Okay_ , Claire, that's _enough._ ”

 

“And he's able to fight off Drall and Aaarrrgghh when they go at him-”

 

“Claire for the love of God please stop talking.”

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What do you get when two kids try to condense several months of terror into a not-worrysome short summary to their friend's mom whose son is fighting the evilest monster in history in enemy territory alone? Lots of messy, confusing dialogue and then screaming and tears. Toby and Claire were not equipped to handle this.
> 
> (Claire doesn't understand why Barbara goes pale whenever she mentions the stuff Jim does.)


	3. In Which a Familiar Name is Tarnished and Too Many Emotions Are Felt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Learning about the trolls is hard. Learning about someone she thought she knew was, if anything, harder.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PLEASE READ THIS
> 
> This fic, and probably anything else I write, is going to be very harsh on Strickler. I don't think Barbara would ever forgive him for the emotional manipulation, let alone trying to kill Jim. Barbara is a good mom; I don't think she'd ever be okay with someone who tried to hurt him.

Telling Barbara that Strickler was a changeling goes about as well as anyone could expect. She isolates herself in her room for a few hours and emerges with red eyes. Strickler is mentioned only as an absolute necessity for a while, before she tells them to stop coddling her, that's not her job.

 

****

 

There was a sort of peace at the Lake house. Toby and Claire frequently came over to help Barbara, who could be found spending her precious few spare minutes talking to Blinky. The rest of the trolls had been introduced, of course (Aaarrrgghh was particularly well-received, once the good doctor had gotten over his enormous size), but Blinky was the one spending the most time at the house. Draal, after being introduced, had only returned once- he and Barbara were cordial, of course, but she had trouble with the revelation that Draal, at one point, completely intended to smash Jim into the ground. Aaarrrgghh spent time with Toby, but his size prevented much socialization outside of the basement. So, it was Blinky who could often be found contemplating (but rarely drinking) tea with the woman.

 

It was when Claire and Toby were explaining some of the finer points that had been skipped over in the initial recounting that another snag was hit. Desperate to avoid revealing Strickler's true nature, they had only referred to him as "the changeling," even once Ms Namura and Not-Enrique were named. It was as the two teens described her chaotic trip into Trollmarket that she decided she'd had enough.

 

"I know you two are leaving something out," she interrupted, setting her tea on the coffee table. When Toby tried to deny hiding anything (with an unfortunately high-pitched voice), Barbara held up a hand. "You two have been referring to this mysterious changeling every time we've spoken about all this. I find it very hard to believe you never saw him in his human form or knew his name. I know you have your reasons," she said, looking at their distressed faces, "but as the adult- well human adult- it's not your job to protect me. My job is to protect you. So, what is it you aren't telling me?"

 

Toby glanced at Claire, whose eyes remained fixed on the table in front of her. "It's... We knew the changeling. We know who he was," he said, haltingly. "It was one of Jim's teachers."

 

Barbara felt dread settle in her chest. She knew Jim's teachers, had met all of them at one point or another, but in that moment, she knew. "Which teacher." It wasn't a question.

 

Toby couldn't meet her eyes. "It was Strickler."

 

It was as if all the air had been sucked out of her chest. Emotions whirled, all clamoring for attention, too many to name. Fear, guilt, rejection... and more than anything else, a cold rage. In that moment, she felt entirely capable of murder, oaths and morals be damned.

 

"Walter Strickler," she said flatly, as if there might be another Strickler who taught one of Jim's classes. As if all signs didn't point to the man she had trusted, had confided in, had been consoled by.

 

Sitting there, drinking tea with her at a cafe, telling her she was being a fine parent.

 

All while planning to kill her son.

 

Without a word, Barbara stood up, taking her tea to the sink to empty and rinse the cup.

 

"Doctor Lake?" Claire was hesitant, as if speaking too loudly or quickly would make the woman bolt. "Are you..." She couldn't ask if she was okay. She was clearly not okay, she was about to shatter into a thousand pieces, she had _trusted him_ \- "is there anything we can do?"

 

"No." Barbara shook her head, still looking at the sink. "No, there isn't."

 

"Do you want us to stay?" Toby ventured. When she shook her head, he stepped back. "Alright, Claire, we should leave."

 

Claire stood there, seeing her shaking, wanting to do something, anything, to ease the burden of the knowledge... "I'm sorry," was all she said, before she and Toby fled.

 

She'd _trusted_ him, and he'd _used her_ to get to her son.

 

He'd made her feel like the weight on her chest was bearable, and he tried to kill Jim.

 

He'd put her life in danger to save his own, so many times, used her trust to torture Jim, who hadn't said a word because he was _protecting her_ , controlled her like a puppet on a strung-out

 

She hadn't protected Jim, she'd put him in danger so many times- the dinner, when Jim had seemed so tense, in the police car, fuming at Jim when the man told her it wasn't the end of the world-

 

When Jim had protected him to save her.

 

Barbara collapsed on her bed, tried to sort the emotions warring in her chest, and wept.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Someone needs to explain to Barbara that your son being magically contracted by destiny to fight evil sort of changes the mothering equation.

**Author's Note:**

> This occurs at some vague point before Jim does his acrobatic flip off the handle and leaves, but after the play.
> 
> Of the three I've written thus far, this is definitely the most light-hearted one. Rough times are ahead.
> 
> Please let me know if my formatting is weird, I've never posted stuff before


End file.
